Evelona Joslin
Evelona Joslin is a wealthy Northpoint commoner. She is the proprietor and Commander-in-Chief of the Brazen Brotherhood, a mercenary company. She is loyal to her men and to the Kingdom of Northpoint. Appearance The general impression of Evelona’s face is one of severity, perhaps a reminiscent of a stern aunt or indomitable schoolmistress -arched brows, sharp grey eyes, pursed lips, even a tiny (artificial) beauty spot. Her platinum blond hair is most often pulled up in a decorative bun, but she enjoys occasional flirtations with other styles – plaited, tressed, even loose on casual occasions. In terms of clothing, Evelona favours narrow waists and voluminous skirts, but is not much for jewellery. She makes an exception for pearls, something of a “weakness” of hers. Her considerable wealth permits her fine fabrics and rich colours, but she is always mindful of her business and her birth, and avoids the greatest extravagances of the nobility, especially when dealing with the high born. Personality Evelona Joslin may look the part of a joyless (if wealthy and very well-dressed) librarian, but even in the cold north an unencumbered lady of leisure is inclined to enjoy the business of living. She will not tolerate vulgarity, or excessively rambunctious humour, but she delights in witty comedy, and believes a meal spent without laughter is a meal wasted. Indeed, Eric Lefetta, a notable North Point playwright, is in fact employed by the mercenary queen to publish her plays without too much notice being taken. Equipment/Possessions Evelona is no warrior, but she does command an army, and as such owns a fine suit of silvered plate mail and an elegant lady’s longsword. As a wealthy woman of (often) leisure and broad interests, Evelona owns many noteworthy items, from paintings to magical artifacts to fine weapons. Her most treasured possessions, however, are her birds. Her Northpoint mansion is home to probably the finest aviary in the kingdom, hosting exotic species from across the known world. Favourites of hers include a giant goat-eating beast from the distant isles of Yneslea, and the so-called “Akaviri chicken”, an ugly large fowl actually from western Elsweyr. Her men once sacked a city in exchange for a Yokudan bird of paradise, though of course the soldiers were paid from their mistress’ coffers. Skills She is a smart woman, deftly handling numbers, letters, and their many applications. A shrewd businesswoman, and master of the buying game, Evelona has run the Brazen Brotherhood and her family’s estates shrewdly over the years, selecting contracts not only on their profitability but their political wisdom. She has, for instance, cultivated a professional friendship with the Northpoint crown by cherry-picking contracts and avoiding stepping on royal toes. As a mercenary commander, she appreciates well that when it comes down to it, whoever commands the loyalty of the soldiers wins the battle, a lesson she learned early and applies often. As we’ve established, Miss Joslin is no warrior, but clad in armour and swinging a sword she knows how to motivate her men, even if this is not a job she does often. A manager of people, who exhorts those in her service to greater service. Her wit is noted in certain circles, and is the talk of the town when published, by proxy, as the comedies of Eric Lefetta. History Evelona’s father, Eadwyre was a wastrel drunk, having too much fun with his money by spending most of it on fantastically expensive wines. “A dirty rag, father dear,” his daughter would admonish him, “will soak up as much Skingrad claret as it will pauper’s gin”. But the old man would have none of it – he had no problem, after all, it was the rest of them. Needless to say, he was drunk the day he died, toppling over the banister as he staggered up to bed and breaking his neck in a pool of wine. This left things at a rather awkward juncture. Mrs Joslin had died some years previously, giving birth to her youngest child, Davide, and as the eldest child (at seventeen) Evelona was left as the contested head of the family. Since the founding of the Brazen Brotherhood by Evelona’s great great grandfather, possession of the company had been willed from father to son and so on, but, in his typically awkward fashion, Eadwyre Joslin had failed to provide any such formulaic will. It was, then, rather left to the living to get things in order. Many of the Joslin’s retainers were of the opinion that the company should be held in trust for Every, the eldest boy (at fourteen). Evelona thought differently, however – Every, after all, was already a simpleton, and her father’s retainers were for the most part overpaid, overbearing, and also simpletons. Resolving the issue once and for all, she simply demanded they step aside for her inheritance and, when they were reluctant, asked that the household contingent of Brazen Brothers back her. Perhaps it was because her claim was simplest, or because she was persuasive, or because she was a sweet young girl who they could hardly eject from the house, but for whatever reason, the Brothers did as they were told, and that more or less decided that. So it was that Evelona Joslin won her “kingdom”. There remains some tension with her little brother, but for the most part, her inheritance went unchallenged. Every Joslin, now aged 41, is a captain of the Brotherhood, and a fair winner of battles, but when not on the campaign trail he lives away from the family’s Northpoint holdings, in a pleasant seafront manor in Alcaire, which is probably for the best. Category:Northpoint Category:Commmoner